The Incidents at the UCSD Campus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Incidents at the UCSD Campus - Essay Example When looking at the occurrences and seeing the reaction of the perpetrators even after their actions were being denounced by their academic institutions and the public, the perpetrators continued to fan the flames by referring to the offended students as â€Å"ungrateful niggers.† This racially inflammatory rhetoric not only displayed their insensitivity but also was a provocation, which could have easily escalated into a grave situation. The fact that a noose was hung in a public location such as the public library really takes these events to the next level and was inciting some type of reaction on the African American communities behalf. A symbol such as a flag being displayed in a public setting has a very different meaning than that of a noose and therefore these symbols should not be protected under the First Amendment. The history of nooses cannot be ignored. It has long since been a symbol of killing, death and lynching that African Americans were subjected to until only very recently in America. The United States has a history of injustice perpetrated at African Americans and these actions should be condemned because they have led us in a direction that society has worked so hard at putting behind. The United States strives to be a country of equality and acceptance. We have worked hard to pass legislation that protects our citizens; a threat to a person or group of people should be taken very seriously and protected by law. Some could argue that the right to exercise free speech allows people to express themselves without censorship and the right to express themselves without fear of being punished. They would argue that this is exactly what has led to the progress and acceptance of African Americans in society. However, these threats were meant to intimidate a group according to their race and put students that were in an environment to learn into a hostile environment where they were repeatedly being targeted by hateful and racist messages.